Police near last year’s haul of festive drink-drive arrests
Force is only 64 short of number held in whole of 2015 crackdown
POLICE forces in Scotland are on course to beat last year’s festive haul of drink drivers after new figures revealed the total number of arrests for the first half of this year’s campaign is just 64 short of those arrested during the 2015 crackdown.
Officers have caught 388 drink drivers in the first two weeks of the month-long effort compared to 452 arrests for the blitz last year over Christmas and New Year period.
Of the near 400 arrested, only 38 were caught between the old limit and the new limit which came into force in December 2014.
The Police Scotland enforcement campaign coincides with a Scottish Government awareness scheme to reinforce the message that “the best approach is none”.
Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said: “It is disappointing that some are continuing to ignore the law and put themselves, and others, at risk.
“Drink-driving is completely unacceptable and if you get caught you face a minimum one-year ban from the roads, a criminal record, points on your licence and a substantial fine.”
Assistant Chief Constable Bernard Higgins said it is “totally unacceptable” for drivers to jeopardise their lives and the lives of others.
He said: “In the first two weeks of this year’s campaign alone, 388 drink/drug-driving related offences were detected compared to 452 for the entire four-week 2015 crackdown.
“In addition, 34 drivers were found to be over the limit having been stopped between 6am and 10am.
“The consequences are severe; they include an automatic ban, a potential fine and even the possibility of a prison sentence, as well as being the potential to kill or seriously injure yourself or others.”
So far, there have been 12,381 negative breath tests over a two-week period compared with 16,225 over a four-week period of 2015/16.
Scotland has some of the toughest drink driving laws in Europe, with only 50 milligrams of alcohol allowed in every 100 millilitres of blood and 22 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres in road users who are breathalysed.
Michael McDonnell, director of Road Safety Scotland, said: “The consequences of drink-driving start with being arrested and, thereafter, the effect on different aspects of people’s lives is like dominoes crashing to the ground.
“Loss of licence, criminal record, hefty fine and potentially even prison can have a devastating effect on present and future employment, destroy relationships and incur debt problems.”
Meanwhile, new research has revealed the pressure that some people are under as designated drivers. Breakdown firm Green Flag found 85 per cent of people in the UK have been asked to drive a car for someone else who has been drinking.
But the survey of 1,200 adults found that 31 per cent of designated drivers had come under pressure from friends to have a drink.
The problem is exacerbated among younger drivers, with more than half (54 per cent) admitting to having received encouragement to drink and then drive.